North Korea was charged by US authorities with supplying Russia with huge amounts of military weaponry for use in Ukraine.
According to National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby, Pyongyang has shipped 1,000 containers of “equipment and munitions” in “recent weeks.”
Photographs purportedly showing 300 containers assembled for transportation in Najin, North Korea, were also made public by officials.
To discuss potential military cooperation, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un traveled to Russia in September.
The Russian military’s continuous attack against Ukraine looks to be utilizing more artillery and missiles, and it is relying on some of its distant allies for supplies.
Analysts surmise that Mr. Kim’s dictatorship possesses enormous weaponry, but is reluctant to part with a lot of it due to its relative financial hardship.
Officials stated that the deliveries occurred between September 7 and October 1, and US intelligence agencies tracked them.
At a news conference on Friday, Mr. Kirby stated that the equipment was shipped to a supply depot in southwest Russia, close to Tikhoretsk, approximately 180 miles (290 km) from the Ukrainian border, by rail and sea.
Mr. Kirby did not elaborate on the type of weapons he claims Mr. Kim’s regime provided, although the US has previously charged Moscow of acquiring artillery shells and rockets from Pyongyang.
Ever since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, US officials have repeatedly expressed their concerns over North Korea’s possible arms supply to Russia.
“We condemn North Korea for providing Russia with this military equipment, which will be used to attack Ukrainian cities, kill Ukrainian civilians and further Russia’s illegitimate war,” Kirby stated in a press release.
In response to resolutions passed by the United Nations Security Council alleging that North Korean armed forces purchase violate those bills, he declared, “We are collaborating alongside our closest allies and friends to vigorously fight this arms deal at the Unesco.” It will remain here.
During Mr. Kim’s visit to Russia in July, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu unveiled a military force of cutting-edge weaponry, including the Hwasong intermediate missile (ICBM).
In September, Mr. Kim had an additional conversation wih Vladimir Putin at Russia’s Far Eastern Vostochny Space Center.
According to analysts, the weaponry North Korea has acquired will only marginally expand Russia’s military operations.They highlight Moscow’s reliance on older, less dependable artillery shell inventories due to severely depleted ammunition.
General Mark Milley voiced his doubts that any such supplies will make a big difference in combat during the most recent event honoring his last day as head of the American Joint Chief of Staff.
It does, however, coincide with the US having to reschedule plans to provide Kyiv an extra $6 billion in military aid because of a continuing dispute over the United States House of Representatives budget.
In light of the temporary agreement struck by House Republicans and Democrats last week, vice president Biden said he might need to find alternative ways to fund the country’s military effort.
